Survivors
by McJedi102
Summary: Ten years have passed since the Battle of Endor. The Emperor is dead, and the New Republic is in power. But rumors are spreading about dark figures wielding red lightsabers. What does this mean for the Jedi? Is it possible that the Sith have returned? Most importantly... what about the droid attack on the Wookiees?
1. Chapter One

_Peace is a lie, there is only passion._

_Through passion, I gain strength._

_Through strength, I gain power._

_Through power, I gain victory._

_Through victory, my chains are broken._

_The Force shall free me._

_\- - - The Sith Code_

**_It is ten years after the Battle of Yavin._**

**_The Rebel Alliance has formed the New Republic, and has pushed what remains of the Empire into the Unknown Regions._**

**_Luke Skywalker is the Grand Master of the New Jedi Order, and is training the first generation of new Jedi, with the help of Jedi Survivors from Order 66._**

**_The Sith have been vanquished, destroyed by Anakin Skywalker, formerly known as Darth Vader._**

**_Balance has been restored to the Force._**

**_Or so everyone thought..._**

-Coruscant, Jedi Temple-

Luke knew that he was dreaming. He was aware that he was fast asleep, still in his quarters in the Jedi Temple. But he also knew that he could still be in danger. He was running through a dense forest, robes splayed behind him in the breeze. He was running from something, though from what, he wasn't yet sure. He just knew that he was in danger. As he sprinted through the trees, he senses a shadow moving towards him. Luke comes to a halt in a clearing, and reaches for his Lightsaber, only to find his weapon missing.

A moment later, two - no, three figures burst into the clearing. Their dark cloaks have raised hoods, and their faces are cast in shadow. Luke quickly sets himself in a defensive posture, wary of these dark figures. His eyes widen in shock when they draw their weapons. Lightsabers, with blades the color of blood. "Impossible..."

A moment later, they swiftly bring their Lightsabers down on him, and he wakes in his bed, covered in sweat. After taking a moment to catch his breath, Luke swings his legs out of bed, and stands up, walking over to his balcony. He leans against the railing, looking out over the Coruscant skyline, listening to traffic fly through the city.

Coruscant was certainly different from Luke's home planet of Tatooine. In contrast to the endless deserts and scorching heat, Coruscant was an endless city with controlled weather. He inhales deeply, and sighs. The planet had much life. But it was not the right place for the Jedi. He had been doing his best to arrange the movement of the Jedi offworld, but it was slow going.

Luke is broken out of his reverie when he senses someone at the door to his quarters. He heads inside, and opens the door to find Ahsoka Tano standing outside. Luke smiles politely. "Ahsoka, what can I do for you?" Ahsoka smiles back at him, but has a worried look in her eyes. Luke had met Ahsoka recently, and the older Hedi had agreed to help him rebuild the Jedi Order. "Master Skywalker, I'm sorry to disturb your rest", she says. "But we have a problem. R2 is getting a report of several Stormtroopers in Coruscant's power levels. Their entrenched in an old warehouse, and we're being asked to assist the authorities."

Luke pinches the bridge of his nose, sighing. Even now, a decade after Palpatine's death, there were still Imperial holdouts, some of which were here on Coruscant. The Grand Master uses the Force to summon his Lightsaber off of his desk. Clipping it to his belt, he grabs his cloak, and follows Ahsoka to the Temple hangar. As they move swiftly through the halls, they are joined by Jedi Master Galen Marek. Marek, formerly the apprentice of Darth Vader known as Starkiller, kept out of the public eye. But he never hesitated to help take down Imperials. Despite the Jedi Code, he had a particular hatred for Stormtroopers and what they represented. Luke, Ahsoka and Galen enter the hangar, and head over towards a police shuttle, where a squad of New Republic Commandos is waiting. They all board the shuttle, and it exits the hangar, flying off to the Works.


	2. Chapter Two

-The Works-

The police shuttle soars over the region of Coruscant known to everyone as The Works. It was home to many factories and warehouses, with the LiMerge Power building towering over the other buildings. The shuttle flies down towards the LiMerge tower, and lands in the hangar. Luke, Ahsoka, Galen and the Commandos disembark their shuttle, and head over to the commanding officer.

The CO glances towards the oncoming group, and a look of relief crosses higher face. "Thank the Force you all are here. These Stormtroopers are dug in tight, and we can't get to them." Gesturing towards the warehouse, we explained the situation. "From what we can tell, they've closed off any and all vents and water lines, other than the front door. They have a couple of heavy gunners there, and some snipers on the roof. We've lost two squads so far." Galen looks at the warehouse, eyes narrowing. He crosses his arms, and studies the building for a moment before speaking. "If we can get the Commandos close enough, then the rest of the operation should run smoothly." He turns back to the group. "Luke and I can fend off the heavy gunners while Ahsoka takes care of the snipers. Then, the Commandos can follow us in."

The CO nods in agreement, and signals for her troops to clear a path. Luke and Galen take their places in front of the Commandos while Ahsoka rushes off to handle the snipers. For a few seconds, there is silence. After what feels like hours, Luke and Galen draw their Lightsabers, and start dashing towards the warehouse door. There are flashes of light in the warehouse roof as Ahsoka takes out the snipers. As Luke and Galen reach the warehouse door, several blasters begin firing on them. They start blocking the shots as the Commandos rush forward, and start returning fire. After a few minutes of shooting, the Jedi and Commandos slowly move forward, pressing into the warehouse.

Luke and Galen swiftly deflect shots back at their sources, while the Commados steadily eliminate Stormtrooper after Stormtrooper. After clearing out the main entrance, the group makes their way through the halls of the warehouse, searching for any other Stormtroopers. A clatter is heard behind a closed door, which Galen cuts open. Inside, they find Ahsoka, who had broken into a vent and climbed into the warehouse. "Well, fancy seeing you boys here." She smirks, and puts away her Lightsabers. Galen sighs, and is about to say something when he feels a warning in the Force. _Danger_. He quickly brings his Lightsabers around in time to block a series of shots from down the hall.

The Commandos quickly turn and return fire, but they are soon overwhelmed. Luke, Galen and Ahsoka push their way forward towards the enemy, and start cutting through the Stormtroopers. After killing the dozen Stormtroopers who had attacked them, they look around, and see a lift at the end of the hall. Ahsoka speaks into her comm. "The Commandos are down. We see a lift, and are investigating it now." With that, the three Jedi walk towards the lift. Entering the lift, Luke, Ahsoka and Galen head into the lower levels.

-Outside the Warehouse-

The CO heard Ahsoka's report, and furrows her brow. The Commados were down? And they were continuing? "Jedi really are crazy...", the CO muttered. A frantic beeping is heard from a nearby console. The man at the console sends his hands flying across the controls, trying to figure out the problem. The CO hurries over. "What's going on?" The man at the console grimaces, and looks at his CO. "We just got readings of several heat signatures. They're going into a 5 to 1 situation, and there's nothing we can do." The CO chrses, and looks back at the warehouse, silently praying that the Jedi be careful.

-Below the Warehouse-

The lift stops, and opens, allowing the trio of Jedi to exit. They keep their Lightsabers in their hands as they move carefully down the hallway. The lights flicker, and the walls seem to be stained with a dark substance. Along the walls of the corridor are several doors to what seem to be cells, though the majority are empty. At the end of the hall is an open door, from which an ominous light seems to come from. Luke leads Galen and Ahsoka through the door, and they look around in shock. They're in a laboratory filled with vats. And in each vat, a red-skinned figure.

They were Sith.


	3. Chapter Three

**_50 BBY_**

-Coruscant-

Palpatine looks out over the skyline of Coruscant's Entertainment District. He had been at the Republic's capital for years, working as the Senator for Naboo. But his thoughts weren't on politics. No, he was awaiting the arrival of his master. The message had been quite vague, but it had said to wait to be picked up. Palpatine grimaces. Usually his master was clear with his instructions. It was worrisome that he had recieved little to no details.

His thoughts are interrupted as he senses his aide, Sate Pestage, outside his office. Palpatine sighs, and sits behind his desk. He presses a button, allowing the door to open, and Pestage to walk in. Sate bows, and clears his throat. "Magister Damask has sent me to retrieve you."

Palpatine nods, and stands. Following Pestage out the door, they head down to the main entrance of 500 Republica. A speeder awaits them outside, which Palpatine and Sate get into. The speeder takes off, heading towards the Works. More specifically, the LiMerge Power building. Palpatine furrows his brow. Was Plagueis going to reveal himself to Maul? What would be the point? These questions circulate through Palpatine's mind as their speeder grows closer to the building.

The speeder pulls into LiMerge's hangar, and Pestage and Palpatine step out of the speeder, greeted by none other than Hego Damask. Damask smiles faintly, though it can't be seen beneath his respirator. He spreads out his arms in a welcoming gesture. "Lord Sidious, Pestage, greetings. I apologize for my secrecy, but I have found something of great importance. Follow." Pestage and Palpatine follow the Muun towards a turbo lift. Getting on, Damask hits a button, and the lift descends, taking the trio into the lower levels of Coruscant.

-Lower Levels-

After what seems like an eternity, the turbo lift stops. The door opens, and the trio step out of the lift, finding themselves in a long corridor. Damask swiftly walks down the hallway, with Palpatine and Pestage in his wake. As they walk, Pestage and Palpatine look in the doorways along the hall, discovering that there are several empty cells. When they reach the end of the corridor, they find an ornate doorway, decorated with ancient symbols.

Damask steps forward, and places his hand on upon the door. Their is a burning smell, and some crackling. Lightning spreads across the door from Damask's hand. Palpatine and Pestage watch in wonder as the door slowly opens, sending dust into the air. After the door finishes opening, the three step inside. They look around, and are shocked by what they see.

"These are all Sith. But... how?", Palpatine asks, voice hoarse. Damask walks over to one of them, and studies their face. "I do not know. But this is a valuable asset. We could destroy the Jedi, here and now." Damask grins beneath his respirator, eyes crinkling as he says this. Then they hear Pestage from a control panel. "Actually... I don't think we can release them from stasis. It's self-induced, they can only be woken by, well... themselves."

Damask glares at Pestage, and then back at the Sith. A low growling emerges from the back of his throat, sounding quite sinister through his respirator. Palpatine steps forward, and places a hand on Damask's shoulder. "They could still prove valuable, Master. We must watch this place carefully." Damask slowly nods in agreement. "Indeed. We need no rivals."

**_Present Day_**

-Sith Laboratory-

Luke felt his blood run cold as he looked around the room. There were two- no, three sets of pods, each with four Sith. In his peripheral vision, he sees Galen stagger back, and lean against a control panel, while Ahsoka only shows a neutral expression. _'Not surprising, considering her time in the Unknown Regions.'_ Luke slowly moves towards one of the pods, and reaches out hesitantly. He places his trembling hand on the glass, and feels a surge of hostility in the Force. He jerks his hand back. "I think... they can sense us. They know that we're here."

Ahsoka and Galen glance uneasily at the other stasis pods, their grip on their Lightsabers tightening. Luke takes a step back from the pods, and raises his comm to his mouth. "There has been a complication. See if you can get clearance from up top to use large-scale explosives." Ahsoka and Galen give Luke a surprised look, and Galen says, "That's a bit much, don't you think?"

Luke turns to look at his fellow Jedi. "Not at all. We know that these are Sith, and we can't take any chances." Luke is about to say something else when a hissing wound is heard. Luke spins around, and the three Jedi see the stasis pods opening. Luke's face pales, and the Jedi start to back up. They see one of the Sith stumble out of their stasis pods, and Galen gestures for Ahsoka and Luke to run to the lift. "Go, I'll keep them occupied."

Luke and Ahsoka dash to the lift, and hear several Lightsabers ignite behind him. As the lift doors close, they catch a glimpse of Galen in the laboratory. He summons the Force, and sends out a shockwave, causing the building to tremble. Luke hears his comm chirp, and and answers. The CO's voice is heard. "Jedi, we just got the go ahead to use several large munitions. The building seems to be shaking. What happened?" Like sighs. "Master Marek is buying us time. He'll try and find a way out, but we need to use the explosives, now."

The lift opens, and the two Jedi dash through the warehouse, bursting out the front doors as several walkers are taking positions around the perimeter. Luke and Ahsoka run over to the CO, who explains the situation. "Jedi Masters, these are refurbished AT-ATs. They'll bring down the warehouse." Luke nods, and the air is filled with loud blaster fire. The warehouse collapses inward, and the ground shakes. As the warehouse crumbles, an explosion takes place in the warehouse. A figure flies out of it, and lands near one of the AT-ATs. Ahsoka rushes over, and her face takes on a shocked expression. "We need a medic! Jedi Master Galen Marek is severely injured, and needs a bacta tank!"


End file.
